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A Quantitative Study on Awareness, Usage and Reservations of Voice Control Interfaces by Elderly People

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HCI International 2021 - Late Breaking Papers: Cognition, Inclusion, Learning, and Culture (HCII 2021)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 13096))

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Abstract

One third of Germans talk to ‘Alexa’, ‘Siri’ and other voice-controlled devices. These devices become omnipresent and change the way how humans interact with digital technologies. We hypothesize, this Human-Computer-Interface can minimize barriers for elderly people in their usage of digital services. But, do elderly people even know about voice-controlled technologies? Are the systems used by elderly and what reservations do they have?

Based on a quantitative study in three municipalities in a rural area (\(n = 747\)), we found that 59% of people aged 55+ years know voice-controlled devices, 37% used them at least once and even 26% use them regularly. But, more than two thirds of respondents (69%) are concerned that their data are not safe. In contrast, only 35% express concerns to be unable to use the devices. The study concludes that there is a gap between the perceived usefulness and trust in the devices for the surveyed demographic.

This work was funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Family Affairs, Labor and Social Affairs.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Well known telecommunications company in Germany and Europe.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Hauptstrasse 3, 94481, Grafenau, Germany

    Dietmar Jakob, Sebastian Wilhelm & Diane Ahrens

  2. University of Passau, Innstraße 41, 94032, Passau, Germany

    Armin Gerl

Authors
  1. Dietmar Jakob
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  2. Sebastian Wilhelm
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  3. Armin Gerl
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  4. Diane Ahrens
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dietmar Jakob .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Crete and Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Constantine Stephanidis

  2. Coventry University, Coventry, UK

    Don Harris

  3. Safety and Accident Investigation Centre, Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK

    Wen-Chin Li

  4. Soar Technology Inc., Orlando, FL, USA

    Dylan D. Schmorrow

  5. Design Interactive, Inc., Orlando, FL, USA

    Cali M. Fidopiastis

  6. Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Margherita Antona

  7. Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Qin Gao

  8. Chongqing University, Chongqing, China

    Jia Zhou

  9. Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus

    Panayiotis Zaphiris

  10. Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus

    Andri Ioannou

  11. Soar Technology Inc., Orlando, FL, USA

    Robert A. Sottilare

  12. MMS, Fraunhofer FKIE, Wachtberg, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Jessica Schwarz

  13. Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands

    Matthias Rauterberg

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Jakob, D., Wilhelm, S., Gerl, A., Ahrens, D. (2021). A Quantitative Study on Awareness, Usage and Reservations of Voice Control Interfaces by Elderly People. In: Stephanidis, C., et al. HCI International 2021 - Late Breaking Papers: Cognition, Inclusion, Learning, and Culture. HCII 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 13096. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90328-2_15

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